Media Contact:
Brenna Moore/Visit Albuquerque
Office: (505) 222-4349
Moore@VisitABQ.org

Organization illustrates how Meetings Mean Business in Albuquerque; recognizes group of local Meeting Heroes who will collectively bring more than $23 million in estimated direct spend to the city

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. – (April 13, 2018) – In conjunction with Global Meetings Industry Day (#GMID18), Visit Albuquerque celebrated the impact meetings and events have on the Albuquerque community at its April 2018 Quarterly Meeting held yesterday at the Albuquerque Convention Center. 

“Travel and tourism continues to be a very bright spot for Albuquerque and is one of the city’s most effective economic development strategies,” said Tania Armenta, President & CEO of Visit Albuquerque. “Visit Albuquerque alone hosts more than 350 meetings and events each year, which bring an estimated $80 million in direct spend to the city. Bottom line—meetings mean business in Albuquerque!”

As one of the city’s largest private industries, tourism generates over $2 billion annually and employs over 42,000 people in Bernalillo County—the highest employment ever for the industry. 

During the meeting, Visit Albuquerque President & CEO Tania Armenta and Board of Directors Chair Cynthia Stanley presented on a variety of organizational updates and accomplishments and touted impressive industry statistics from STR (formerly known as Smith Travel Research), which illustrate the impact and continuing growth of meetings and events in Albuquerque, including:

  • Occupancy and average daily rate (ADR) for hotels have seen consistent increases. 2017 occupancy saw an increase of 4.4 percent and ADR saw an increase of 3.3 percent over 2016.
  • STR data reflects group business demand increased by 6.3 percent in 2017 and hotel group revenue increased by 11.6 percent.
  • In FY17, lodgers' tax saw a 3.4 percent increase over FY16. For FY18, lodgers' tax is pacing up 7.5 percent fiscal year-to-date through January.

Visit Albuquerque joined organizations across six continents to support the third annual Global Meetings Industry Day (GMID). GMID, led by the industry advocacy coalition Meetings Mean Business (MMB), showcases the proven value that business meetings, conferences, conventions, incentive travel, trade shows and exhibitions bring to businesses and the economy.

New research from Oxford Economics affirms that in a single year—and despite a continued rise in virtual communications options—face-to-face meetings and events supported 5.9 million jobs and $845 billion in economic impact in the United States.

Visit Albuquerque’s Quarterly Meeting centered on recognizing 2018 Meeting Heroes, a group of local residents that encouraged the personal and professional associations or organizations to which they belong to bring their meeting or convention to Albuquerque. Collectively, the group of 22 Meeting Heroes will bring an estimated $23.6 million in direct spend to the Albuquerque economy. 2018 Meeting Heroes include:

  • Lieutenant Governor John A. Sanchez; Aerospace States Association – 2017 Annual Meeting
  • Cabinet Secretary Rebecca Latham; American Mothers, Inc. – American Mothers Board Retreat
  • Jane Lucero; American Association of Airport Executives – 2018 South Central Chapter Conference
  • Jim Hinde; American Association of Airport Executives – 2018 South Central Chapter Conference
  • Daniel Jiron; American Association of Airport Executives – 2018 South Central Chapter Conference
  • Amory Winn; American Adoption Congress – Annual Congress
  • Jennifer Hutchins; US Department of Energy – Emergency Management Issues SIG
  • Dr. Cheryl A. Torrez; Association of Teacher Educators – 2018 Summer Conference
  • David Gatterman; US Environmental Protection Agency – 2018 Region 6 Stormwater Conference
  • Kali Bronson; US Environmental Protection Agency – 2018 Region 6 Stormwater Conference
  • Bruce Prater; Retired Army Finance Organization – 2018 Biennial Reunion
  • Bill Blair, Jr.; Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy – 2018 Pro Football Hall of Fame Academy Youth Regional
  • Dr. Sanjeev Arora; The University of New Mexico – 2019 MetaECHO Conference
  • Patricia Dickinson-Wells; Regional Dance America – 2019 Regional Dance America
  • Jorja Armijo-Brasher; National Senior Games – 2019 National Senior Games
  • Len Malczynski; System Dynamics Society – 2019 Annual Conference
  • Munaf Aamir; System Dynamics Society – 2019 Annual Conference
  • Dr. Asmeret Naugle; System Dynamics Society – 2019 Annual Conference
  • Dan Scoglietti; Brewery Collectible Club of America – 2019 CANvention
  • Jim Gannon; Catholic Charities USA – 2019 Annual Gathering
  • Joran Viers; International Society of Arboriculture – 2020 Annual Conference
  • Bryan Suhr; International Society of Arboriculture – 2020 Annual Conference

The meeting program included recognizing Visit Albuquerque volunteers—a base of over 90 individuals serving at the organization’s Visitor Information Centers, trade conferences and local events. Three long-standing volunteers were highlighted during the program: Judy Love, Rosemary Cozart and Vivian McKinney.

Nearly 300 attendees listened to remarks from Visit Albuquerque leadership and community partners, including MPI-New Mexico, the Greater Albuquerque Innkeepers Association, the Albuquerque Hispano Chamber of Commerce, and the Albuquerque Convention Center. The speakers reiterated the power of meetings in Albuquerque and thanked attendees for their collective work to move our industry forward and make Albuquerque even stronger.

About Visit Albuquerque

The mission of Visit Albuquerque is to stimulate economic growth by marketing Albuquerque as a visitor and convention destination. For more information, go towww.VisitABQ.org, www.Facebook.com/VisitABQ or www.Twitter.com/VisitABQ.

 

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